Red Or Dead

by David Peace

  Under the dark and heavy skies. In his broad-brimmed hat. The interviewer, this man from Rome. He smiled and he said, But perhaps it is only you who thinks like this now, Mr Shankly? Perhaps it is only you who is so passionate about this city. About Liverpool and about football. Perhaps it is only you now, Mr Shankly?

  Well, you go back into the city again. With your fancy camera and with your fancy lights. And you talk to the men and women who live here again. But this time you ask them about the passion they feel for this city. The passion they feel for the football in this city. The things they want to be asked about, the things they want to talk about. And then you’ll see. Oh yes. Then you’ll see and then you’ll hear. If you have the ears to listen, if you have the eyes to see. And then you’ll go back to your city, back to Rome. And you’ll always remember the day you came to this city, the day you were in Liverpool. And you will feel lucky, you will feel privileged. Lucky to have walked on these pavements, privileged to have spoken with these people! Real people.

  And before Anfield. Before the ground. Bill Shankly stared into the camera. And now Bill Shankly nodded. And then Bill Shankly turned away. Away from the camera, away towards the people. The men and the boys. In their coats. Their thin coats. With their scarves. Their red scarves. And the men and the boys walked towards Bill Shankly. The men and the boys gathered around Bill Shankly. In a group, in a huddle. They patted his back and they shook his hand. And they thrust pieces of paper, scraps of newspaper. Into his hands. For an autograph, for a signature. And one of the men said, You know you are a genius, don’t you? You know you are a genius, Bill?

  Are you all going to the match tonight, asked Bill Shankly.

  And one of the men said, Of course I am, Bill. I never miss a game. I’ve never missed a match yet, Bill. Never once.

  But most of the men shook their heads. And one of the men said, I want to, Bill. Of course I want to go. But I can’t afford to go, Bill. Not to every game, not these days.

  I know, son. I know, said Bill Shankly. And I am sorry, son.

  And again, one of the men said, But you know you are a genius, don’t you? You know you are a genius, Bill?

  Did any of you lads see the first leg, asked Bill Shankly.

  And one of the men said, Yes, Bill. I saw it. I was there, Bill. For my sins. What a travesty, Bill! I could not believe it!

  I know, son. I know, said Bill Shankly again. And you are right, son. You are absolutely right. I mean, we’ve now played Forest nine times and won only once. It’s unbelievable. Bloody unbelievable! And that was a heavy pitch at the City Ground, a very heavy pitch. But to play like we did, on a pitch like that. And then to concede a penalty, in the last bloody minute, and lose the bloody match. It was a travesty! A bloody travesty! Because I really thought we had learnt our lessons, I really thought we had the measure of them. The way Bob had set them up, the way Bob had set Case up as a watchdog. A watchdog on Robertson. I mean, that was very effective. Very shrewd. It clipped their wings, it cut off their lines of communication, you see? And so Robertson never had a touch, not a bloody touch. Not until the last bloody minute and he steps up and scores a bloody penalty. Unbelievable. Bloody unbelievable! Very unfair, very unjust.

  One of the men said, But you think we can still turn it around tonight, Bill? You think we can still beat them, don’t you?

  Oh yes, said Bill Shankly. Oh yes. I mean, we had some revenge in the Cup. In the FA Cup, of course. We already got the better of Forest then. And so I think that will have given the players a lot of belief. And of course, it’s always a different game here. Always a very different game at Anfield. The belief of the supporters, the belief of the Kop. You see the players, they can all feel that belief. It’s an incredible feeling. An incredible thing. The way the belief of the Kop, the way it flows from the stands onto the pitch into the players. The way it inspires the players, that belief. Their hope and their passion. It’s unbelievable. Bloody unbelievable!

  In their coats. Their thin coats. With their scarves. Their red scarves. The men and the boys nodded. And one of the men unbuttoned his coat. The man opened up his coat. The man untied the scarf around his neck. The man took off his scarf. And the man touched the tie he was wearing. The Liverpool Football Club tie. Under his coat, under his scarf. And the man said, I am sure you won’t remember, Bill. Because it was ages ago now. Years ago now. So I am sure you don’t remember, Bill. But I had gone to the club shop to buy a tie. But the club shop were sold out of ties. And then I saw you, you in the car park. And I stopped you. And I asked you for your autograph. And we started to chat. And you asked about me, about how I was doing. And I said about the tie in the shop, about there being no ties in the shop. And in the car park. You took off your tie. Your Liverpool Football Club tie. And you gave me your tie. Your Liverpool Football Club tie. And so this is your tie, Bill. The tie you gave me. And I have worn it every day, Bill. Every day since. I never take it off, Bill. Never. So thank you again, Bill. Thank you.

  I do remember, said Bill Shankly. And I remember you, son. I remember you very well. But it was the least I could do, son. The very least I could do. To thank you, son. To thank you for supporting Liverpool Football Club. So thank you again, son …

  And again, one of the men said, But you know you are a genius, don’t you? You are a genius, Bill?

  And now Bill Shankly shook his head. And Bill Shankly put his hand upon the shoulder of this man. And Bill Shankly said, Thank you, son. Thank you. But I am not a genius. I have only ever tried to be an honest man. And to make you proud. And make you happy.

  86. WHATEVER THE SEASON

  Not only in the summer. Not these days. But in the autumn. And in the winter and in the spring. These days. Bill and Ness would drive up to Blackpool. In all seasons, in all weathers. Or if Ness did not fancy the drive up to Blackpool. If Ness was busy. Bill would call a friend. And Bill and his friend would drive up to Blackpool. In all seasons, in all weathers. Or if his friends did not fancy the drive up to Blackpool. If his friends were busy. Bill would still go. Bill would still drive up to Blackpool. In all seasons, in all weathers. Bill parked the car by the Norbreck Castle Hotel. Bill crossed the tram tracks to the front. Bill walked along the Queen’s Promenade. And Bill sat on the front, on the promenade. In a deckchair or in a shelter. Bill sucked a lozenge, a Fisherman’s Friend. And Bill stared out at the sea, the Irish Sea. In all seasons, in all weathers. In a shelter or in a deckchair. Bill thought about the seasons that had been, Bill thought about the seasons to come. The things he had done and the things he would do. In all seasons, in all weathers. In his deckchair or in the shelter. Bill sucked a lozenge, a Fisherman’s Friend. Bill stared out at the sea, the Irish Sea. And Bill said, I only wish I could start all over again. Oh yes …

  I mean, I see some of these managers. I hear some of these modern managers. And they talk like gods. But they haven’t won a thing. Not a bloody thing! And so I know, some of these top jobs. I could sit and do them with my eyes shut. With my bloody eyes shut!

  Basic things, you know? Basic discipline, basic routines. The initial training period should take a long time. Oh yes. About five and a half weeks, I reckon. But you need to be cautious in these initial stages. You can’t be going out and tearing people to bloody pieces in the first three or four days. Oh no. You don’t put them in the sand or in the hills or on the road. You train them on the grass where they play. And you take it easy. I mean, if you saw Liverpool training in the early stages of my day, you might think they were being lazy. But the build-up was gradual, you see? Relying on experience, relying on knowledge. Our experience and our knowledge. Oh yes …

  I mean, I would never ask players to stretch their legs until they were ready. Oh no. Injuries can be caused if the initial period is wrong. If a man breaks down two or three months into the season, it might well be because of his initial training. His initial training might well have been wrong, you see? It has to be a patient approach. Yes. It should be a very patient approach. I
mean, Ray Clemence once pulled a muscle kicking balls too early into his training. It affected him for a long time. And he eventually missed a few games. And it cost us the League that season. I really believe that. I really do.

  So I mean, you don’t want to let them sprint too early. Or kick the ball too early. Oh no. Caution is the key. Patience is the thing. You train hard, yes. But only when you are ready. Cautiously, patiently. You build up the training, you build up the players. Always with an eye on the details, on the little things. Oh yes. The details and the little things. I mean, during serious training. When the season is in full swing, when the players are seriously training. Then the players will sweat. Oh yes, of course they will. And they must, they must. But they must still wear a sweater or a top to train in. Particularly if it is a cold day. Because they need that sweater or that top to cover their kidneys. And if you haven’t worn one, you must put one on as soon as training is finished. To keep you warm, you must. Oh yes …

  I mean, instead of stripping, training and showering at Melwood. And eating there and then going home. We stripped off at Anfield and then we went down to Melwood by bus. When it’s still summer and pre-season and when you are still hot and perspiring, you don’t want to be leaping into the bath five minutes after you have finished. Oh no. If you do, then you’ll sweat all bloody day. So after training, I encouraged the boys to have a little walk around and then have a nice cup of tea. And then we’d all get on the bus back to Anfield. It takes about fifteen minutes or so to get from Melwood in West Derby back to Anfield. And so you see, about forty minutes would have passed from training until they actually got into the bath. And I am certain, bloody certain, this is one of the reasons why we were always fitter than the rest. Because most of the other clubs, they report directly to their training grounds. And they strip off there. And so then they come straight off the training pitch and into a hot bath. Now I always disagreed with that. Strongly disagreed.

  I mean, our lads never felt uncomfortable. Oh no. They never had their lunch with sweat pouring off them. And in my opinion, this was very important and a key part of Liverpool’s fitness. It actually prevented injuries from happening. Stripping off at Anfield and then getting the bus out to Melwood. And then having a cup of tea before getting the bus back to Anfield. It was very important. Oh yes …

  So I mean, these are basic routines. Basic things, simple things. And the same things apply to the actual training sessions. The same basic things, very simple things. Footballers normally train for an hour and a half. But it doesn’t mean they work for an hour and a half. Oh no. Some might be demonstrating a function while others are watching them, you see? And then it’s your turn. And then the others are watching you, you see? So it’s not how long you train. Oh no. It’s what you put into it. Oh yes. I mean, if you train properly, thirty-five minutes a day might well do you. It might well be enough.

  I mean, we built Liverpool’s training on exhaustion and recovery with little areas of two-a-side, three-a-side and five-a-side. And in these little areas, you are working hard. Like a boxer, you see? Twisting and turning, turning and twisting. Training the basic skills, working on the simple things. Control. Passing. Vision. And awareness. Oh yes. Our training was based on these simple skills. These basic skills. That was what our training was based on. And on fitness. Because if you are fully fit, you have a huge advantage over everybody else. Oh yes. A tremendous advantage. Oh yes …

  And I mean, then after all the training. After all the training was complete, on a Friday. We always had a talk about the impending game. All the players and the subs attended. And one of us, one of the staff. We would have watched the opposition. And they would bring in their report. You know, was it four–four–two, four–three–three or whatever. And did any of the opposing players have any little characteristics we might want to stifle? That kind of thing. But I never ever discussed the opposition at length. Oh no. The last thing you want to do is to talk about the opposition at length. It only builds up your opponents. And then it frightens your own players …

  So I mean, we might have been playing Manchester United that weekend. But I wasn’t going to be singing their praises. The praises of the bloody opposition. Oh no. I tell you, I remember once coming out of one of them meetings. And one of our lads, he said to one of his mates. He said, So are Best, Law and Charlton not playing then? And that made me smile, made me laugh. Because you see, we were only concerned about us. And our collective approach. And that was simple. Keep everything simple. And be patient. Even if it takes eighty-nine minutes to score. Keep it simple. And be patient. Because the number of times we won a match at the death was unbelievable. Bloody unbelievable. And when you sneak one like that, it’s heartbreaking for the opposition. Bloody heartbreaking. Oh yes …

  But I mean, before the game. Before the match itself. I always tried to have a joke up my sleeve, you know? To boost our lads and to knock down the opposition. I mean, don’t misunderstand me. Don’t get me wrong. We took our football seriously. But we always tried to get a laugh out of our team talks. And so I would always keep a few bombs for Saturday afternoon. Oh yes. I might say to the old boy on the Anfield door. I might say, Here’s a box of toilet rolls. You hand them to the opposition when they come through that door. Because they’re going to bloody need them. All the toilet rolls they can get. And often, I’d say it just as they were coming through the door. And I’d make sure my lads heard me, too. Oh yes! But I mean, don’t misunderstand me. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t arrogance. Or overconfidence. Oh no. Because being overconfident, being cocky. That is a form of ignorance. It means you are talking too much. And if you are guilty of that, then an opponent will bring you down to earth. Oh yes. If you are cocky, then you’ll get knocked down a peg or two. And I mean, we never lost a game. We never lost a match because we were arrogant. Or we were cocky. Oh no. And we didn’t lose many. Not many at all. Not in my day, not in my time. But if we did lose, when we did lose. We were always ready to learn. Always.

  I mean, we learnt a lot in Europe. Oh yes. We learnt a lot through playing the Latins in Europe. We realised a football match is like a relay race. Not a sprint. Oh no. And so we realised you can score a goal by playing from the back. I mean, it may be cat and mouse for a while. Waiting for the opening to appear. But as I say, if you are patient. If you keep things simple. Then you’ll get your chance, your opening. If you are patient, if you keep things simple. And you can improvise. Oh yes! Improvisation. If your players can improvise, if your players can adjust to what is happening. You’ve got a chance. But as I say, it’s not a sprint. It’s a relay race. And the season itself, that is a marathon. A bloody marathon. And so in every game, all through the season. It’s vital you conserve your energy. You make sure the opposition are doing all the chasing. They are doing all the running. I mean, when you are playing over sixty games a season, you can’t afford to be running flat out all the time. Oh no. And so you have to make the opposition do the running. And you make sure the ball is doing all the work. So the system we devised, it was very economical. And so you want everyone to be doing their share …

  I mean, the important thing is that everyone can control the ball and do the basic things. It’s control and pass. Control and pass. Control and pass. So it’s important to try and give everyone a touch of the ball as quickly as possible as soon as the match starts. If it comes to you, you chest it down simple and you roll it to your mate. And then he does the same, so everyone gets a touch. It doesn’t look much, it might not look much. But it’s important. It’s something. Nothing fancy, nothing clever. If you try to do something clever, something fancy, and then it breaks down, then it can take the confidence out of you. That’s not my way. Oh no. Because that’s when the fear sets in. And then you are done for. You are lost. And you will lose …

  And I mean, if you delay. Then the opposition are suddenly all behind the ball. Then you’ve all eleven of them to beat. And no space. And so you are looking for somebody who can control the bal
l instantly. And then give a forward pass. And then that gives you more space. And then you are all moving. All wanting the ball …

  Because I mean, you see some teams playing and it seems as if nobody wants the ball. Nobody wants the bloody thing. They all turn their back on each other. But that’s not my way. Oh no. At Liverpool, there is always somebody there to help you out. There is always somebody in space, somebody asking for the ball. Somebody there to help you. There’s always somebody there to help you out. Oh yes …

  So I mean, this is the secret. Get it. Give an early pass. Switch the ball around. You might not seem to be getting very far. But the opposition pattern is changing, the opposition are getting confused. And so then the space opens up for the next pass. And so all the players must understand that when they have delivered a pass, you’ve only just begun. You have only just started. You have to back up. And you have to look to help someone. You have to make yourself available. Available for the next pass. And then you get it again. And then you give it again. Early, always early. And then you move again. Into space again. Looking to help someone again, looking for the ball. That final ball, that final pass. And then the goal. Oh yes. The goal.

  In all seasons, in all weathers. In the shelter or in his deckchair. Bill sucked a lozenge, a Fisherman’s Friend. Bill stared out at the sea, the Irish Sea. And Bill thought about the seasons that had been, Bill thought about the seasons to come. The things he had done and the things he would do. If only he could start all over again.